Fate's Gamble
by Aeigns
Summary: A different take on the Half-Blood Prince. What-if Slughorn had more of an important part to play in Harry's life? What-if a rather stubborn Hermione and a rather ignorant Ron pushed Harry over the egde? What-if a certain deserted Snake took refuge in a Lion's honorable den?
1. The Onset of the Layout

1\. The Onset of the Layout

The Gryffindor common room seemed to be the perfect place that evening where the house's spectators (especially those who are oblivious to the muggle issues) seems to be witnessing a Cold War and its rather hazardous effects at its wake. On one corner of the room a couple, purely under the will of their rather dominating teenage hormones, were relishing the better part of the rather tense evening. A large share of the third and fourth year boys were concentrating the state of attire of Lavender Brown while Ronald Billius Weasley, oblivious to his surroundings was working his rarely used brains to figure out some inventive ideas about devouring his girlfriend's face.

That said, lets describe the other part of the common room where the younger and mature students were focusing. Sitting at her desk and pretending to read her charms book was Hogwart's supposed Ravenclaw's incarnate, i.e., one Hermione Jane Granger. Sitting opposite to her in the warmth of the fire was the chosen-one or the boy-who-lived and many such ridiculous monikers, one Harry James Potter. But the rather friendly atmosphere that the two usually relished in was rather absent at the moment. The First years wondered what was so odd about them as the other years always gazed upon them in surprise. The fact they may not know is that the tense atmosphere they were witnessing right from their beginning of the year was a rarity or to some, even impossibility. The jovial nature of the friendship of Gryffindor's infamous "Golden Trio" has taken a huge blow from the beginning of the year. For what reason? None knows for sure; or maybe except one…

Harry was sitting and having a go-through to his Potions essay which was due the next week. It turns out that in the absence of Snape and with a rather jovial and a more encouraging instructor he was developing a morbid passion for his once hated subject. It all started with his sudden resolution in the summer at the Burrow after his meeting with Horace Slughorn.

Having learnt more about his mother that day rather than his entire life, Slughorn earned himself a rather special place in Harry's heart righgt from the beginning. Unknown to either his best friends and the Order, he started exchanging letters with old Potion's Master. What earned him more of Harry's undivided attention was that he seemed to be not at all restrained in exposing his parents' character. Sirius and Remus, being his father's best friend, never did expose any traits of his father's rather than all praises. Even more was told to him about his mother. He never pressed them that much for he knew this was still a sore topic to them. But still, that reasoning wasn't enough to quench his thirst about knowing his parents, especially when he never even knew their names for a better part of a decade, all thanks to the Dursleys.

Harry was beginning to come in terms to feel hopeless about ever knowing his parents truly. But it was at this desperate stage that Slughorn came to his rescue. Through all his letters Slughorn talked about his parents methodically. The first being with his familiar grounds, that is his mother - Lily Potter née Evans. A meritious student, Slughorn highlighted her utter brilliance in Charms and excellence in Potions. She was also fairly gifted in Transfiguration as well as the best in Ancient Runes since when Albus Dumbledore was himself a student. But after reading through a page of his mother's achievements , Harry learnt of her flaws as stated by Slughorn – Defence Against the Dark Arts. Though very creative in using advance and regular charms in dueling, Slughorn mentioned Lily Evans as "sloppy and clumsy" enough to take ten stunners even before taking out her wand.

James Potter was what Slughorn considered an "enigma" he failed to "claim". Though not very brilliant in the art of brewing Slughorn mentioned to have witnessed some of his father's pranks where he highered the use of potions that required the skills of brewing to a high optimum. He was a prodigy in Transfiguration and receved the highest ever recorded OWLs in Arithmancy in the last couple of centuries. He was also a decent duelist right after the infamous Sirius Black who excelled in DADA.

Hearing these exploits of his parents Harry was a little ashamed of his own academic progress. He surprised himself by expressing his concerns to the recently highered Professor, whom he had began to look forward to as a parental figure, though from his want or from his grief over Sirius' death he will never know.

Slughorn, being the ever helpful man he is, asked Harry if he would like to sit for his OWLs prepared for a second time to which he agreed. By pulling some strings through his influence in the Ministry, Slughorn managed to set a date at the first of August – right before a week from receiving his OWLs results. He had the entire of July and a couple of days in June to prepare himself. On the closing day of June, Slughorn sent his first ever package through his owl in which Harry found a dropplrganger along with a note on how to use it and setting it to work from him for a couple of months. Along with them was also an old teapot that Slughorn mentioned to be a portkey that will trigger at the wake of July.

Setting for his "disappearance" Harry prepared for his trip and at precise twelve o' clock the portkey triggered and moments later he found himself in a flat. Slughorn was waiting there for him and made him familiar to his surroundings. He was made aware that he was in Slughorns private trunk which was a gift to his family from the goblins and that it was actually a time chamber, wherein time of inside and outside can be counter-balanced. At that moment the time-fixation was a week outside to a couple of years inside. Getting ecstatic Harry was both excited and honored that the old Professor had let him in one of his deepest secrets that was never even disclosed to his most prized students.

Feeling the need to pay for the man's efforts, Harry delved himself into an academic fervor that he suppressed for a long time since he was punished by the Dursleys for out-performing Dudley at his pre-school. He let that continue even at Hogwarts for fear of loosing his friends, that is Ron for "showing him up" and Hermione for competing against her. Through a much needed counseling Slughorn first got him rid of these insecurities and then started dealing with his cemented grief of loosing Sirius. Once they were dealt with Slughorn made him begin with his previous year's courses first to strengthen his grip of the basic concept. Along with them Slughorn regularly drilled him into mastering the mind arts. While his core subjects of Charms, DADA and Transfiguration needed simple brushing up and a few of the Scholastic inputs from Slughorn (who proved himself to be a prodigy in nearly all fields), his concept of Potions was thoroughly crushed and renewed foundations replaced them.

At the end of three years, aided by Slughorn's rather impressive Library, Harry's academic fervor grasped a brilliant concept of all courses offered at Hogwarts until Fourth year, bar Runes and Arithmancy, and was also a master Occlumens and Legilimens (something which made Slughorn very ecstatic). It was then in the next three years that Slughorn started making Harry delve himself into the OWLs and NEWTs courses. He kept reading Herbology and Creatures by himself with valuable help from Slughorn's library. Runes and Arithmancy was thouroughly drilled into him by his mentor. Arithmancy was like solving Mathematic equations which he found rather easier than Runes and he eventually became proficient enough to frame new spells. He maintained a journal for each of his courses. He started maintaining a different one for his new spells. In a matter of two years the self-containing journal took the appearance of a tome which Slughorn found rather amusing, but one look at its contents had him swell in pride for his young charge. The book had four chapters – Creative, Defensive, Offensive and Dark. Through some serious prodding he made Harry confess his view of Dark Arts. That led another week of counseling in which Slughorn, after some minor disagreements, finally successfully hammered into Harry that its not the spell but the intent that can be evil - a knife may be used as a kitchen utensil or a murdering weapon.

Though it took time, but at the end of six years Harry was finally a prodigy in Creating and assembling a Runic Array, raising and dissolving advance Warding and proficient reading of almost all thirty categories of Runic Texts and Algorithms.

The final two years Slughorn insisted on divulging in the basic learning of Latin and Greek (the languages in which spells are created the most), and devoting on revising all that Harry learnt in his time there. Though initially targeting for a basic concept, by end of two years Harry was a proud master at reading and writing both the languages. In the last six months Slughorn also made Harry improve his Penmanship which did reform after some serious attention.

Under glamour charms and securing an oath from the Invigilator, Harry retook all courses offered at OWLs – including Muggle Studies, Divination and History of Magic (memorized for eight years at pass-time as replacement of a fantasy novel) which Slughorn suggested to gain more OWLs – an advice Harry simply can't pass.

After three exhausting days Harry took a break for four days – his first in eight years. Then he along with Slughorn re-entered the trunk for the rest of August, and in the remaining six years Slughorn made Harry master Apparation, Blood Magic, Alchemy, Kido, Wizarding Etiquette, Pureblood Etiquette, Pureblood Politics, Winzengamort administrations and, after some hesitation - Dark Magic, and along with them physical training, horse-riding, sword-manship and other weapon-handling. Harry's talent at catching things led Slughorn to introduce a new language at every six months. In six years Harry mastered French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Afrikaans, Mexican, Arabic, and finally after learning some ancient Indian spells – Hindi and the neglected but still the most ancient language of Sanskrit.

Slughorn also made Harry embrace his power of speaking Parseltongue and encouraged him in learning it which can be used in using both obscure spells as well as advance healing. He even pulled some of his contacts to buy a high-breed female cross of a basilisk and a coral for Harry to help him focus and channel his parselmagic. The snake – Draciel – had all powers and self-resizing capabilities of a basilisk but with a exotic and beautiful body of a coral snake. The creature reminded Harry of Deadly Beauty. Though natural enemies, still Hedwig and Draciel hit it off at the first go (something Harry considered as a trait which he needed a pair of 'X' chromosomes to understand). At the awake of midnight of September 1st harry gave his momentary farewell to the person he considered his grandfather in all but blood and appeared beside a sleeping Ron to replace his Droppleganger.

On September 1st all the hustle at the Burrow prevented himself from the receiving end of scrutinizing gazes for the sudden change in his personality. From his duplicate-self's memory he gathered all that is necessary – including ensuring whether or not they received his secondary and void copy of OWLs. The most amusing of them was to find Hermione getting mortified at not receiving the highest grade in any subjects. He very well knew who did receive the highest marks in all subjects bar Herbology (which he believed was possibly Neville) and History of Magic (which he was better off at not knowing) – himself. But the shocking news had been to know that Hermione was overall sixth in their year.

Though unwilling, he started to realize Hermione distancing herself from him after learning about the phrophecy. His sudden upliftment in academics (which was again suppressed) irked her and gave her another reason to nag him. An old battered book from an unknown "Half Blood Prince" which interested him, seemingly became her main ground of meaningless accusations. Her self-understanding of him cheating by getting aided from the book seemed unmovable and a few times even he had trouble in blocking her off completely. Being a master Occlumens, that says something.

Finally and albeit reluctantly, Harry had to reach the obvious conclusion his best female friend had been hinting upon since a month the school started – severing ties. Ron, having no subtlety, had already conveyed his part of finding a way out by concentrating more on devouring Lavender's face than his problems. Though he knew it would be hard but he took the comfort knowing that he can remember all his better days by not sullying his remaining days of friendship. He also saw this as his only way to get rid of his last anchors holding him back. That is to finally show his true-self. He had already started his part by dealing all his Head of House activities with Professor Slughorn, which Dumbledore (for some reason) supported whole-heartedly and even gave Harry the proverbial push by allocating all his academic reports, missives and other files to Professor Slughorn.

That brings us back to this first week of October amidst the Cold War when one of the greatest Historic moment of Hogwarts ever, commemced…


	2. The Fall-out

The Fall-out

Raising her head Hermione took in her surroundings. Seething in cold fury at seeing one of her best friends (to whom she had developed a forced liking to) making out with the hussy that had the gall to enjoy her exploits. The previous couple of months had been unsettling for her. Having developed romantic feelings for "her" certain green eyed best friend she was on the verge of hinting when she had to stop herself after he dropped the prophecy upon them. Ron's appearance in itself had reflected his unsurety which led to his certainty... in weaseling out. Hermione for herself was disoriented and did what (according to her) any disoriented teenager would do. She decided, for the first time, to follow her other friend. To leave Harry. To crush and/or subdue feelings for him. It had been a hard decision but in the end her belief in her logic played out and she implemented some rather creative ideas to keep him at bay. Ignorance, shunning and ridiculing became her weapon and she brutally crushed her feelings and somewhat, morality.

His sudden upliftment at academics while may have made her proud for her friend in the past, gave way to utter jealousy at the time. She even as far as calling him a cheat

Now looking into the utter calm and confident atmosphere he is surrounded with, one would never know the hell he always goes through – yet another reason to get angry at him!... as if reading her thoughts he gently but gracefully lifted his head to look into her eyes. The bright smile that is usually reserved for her and which could make any girl weak at their knees, slowly gave way to a calm, collected, stony and expressionless face upon looking at her. The tensing atmosphere stole half of Ron's audiences who joined the other Gryffindors. All were ready to witness the entertainment they have waited too long for. Neville Frank Longbottom, the only lone Gryffindor closed the distance between them and him to try and salvage any harm before it is done. A lot of people will speak of him on this day describing his Heroic "deed".

Seeing the thrice damned book gave her the energy she was raving for and she was about to start her tirade when two words from him stopped her into swallowing her words.

"I understand," he said casually with a sad smile.

"What do you mean?!" she shot back coming back from the stupor she was in.

"Everything – right from dragging you to Hell to making your perfect and happy life shit and finally to practically force you into my companionship to which you are all against. Sorry for everything and I hope that my severing of all my ties and friendships with you and Ron may allow you a both a better future – a future where there is no Harry Potter. A future where the Dark Lord has been taken outby me and a future where I die fighting Voldemort. I wish you my luck. Take care Ms. Granger and convey my gratitude for five good years of friendship with Mr. Weasley which I did enjoy but clearly understand the meaning to abandon" he finished calmly as if reading the news.

Hermione for all her grace, simply gaped at him like a fish out of water. Suddenly she had the urge to accuse him for delivering the news that calmly. So she lashed out.

"How dare you even think yourself worthy of thinking it that simply you cheat! You are simply nothing without me and you would have been dead for a number of times without my help" she all but screeched.

"I know," was his prompt reply with that sad apologetic smile that was irking her off.

Even Ron was now concentrating on them. She wanted to prove herself to Ron. She wanted to hurt Harry. Too badly. And thus she blurted out the words she never would have thought she would ever even utter. He had assembled all his belongings and turned his back to her and was just slowly approaching the portrait hole when she spoke the words that did the deed.

"You are a disgrace to the memory of your parents Harry Potter. A constant reminder of your parents' indecision and failure you are. Had they been alive they would have been ashamed you and would have dearly wished, just like I'm sorely doing now, that you were never conceived from nine months before your misfortune birthday. I can rather guarantee that you were a rather sorry mistake of a couple taking off their heat during a war!" now that she had it out of her system she thought back and processed what she delivered and then it hit her… hard!

Harry for his part was appearing like he had zoned out himself. He felt a tear roll down his left eye leaving a trail at its awake. He slowly turned to his former and once-trusted best friend.

Hermione didn't knew what to say to take back her words but then she realized that she had succeeded. But that was not how she planned it. The tear trail down his left eye was making her squirm under his hollow gaze. Finally his expressionless mask once again returned to its sad smile and she thought she may have been forgiven. But she was wrong.

"I see… so that's it then. The last words before parting ways to our own respective worlds. Thank you for bearing with lowly and bastard cheat Ms. Granger. I swear I may never know the intent my parents had before conceiving me but your words do strike a point and may be its my misfortune arrival that cost them their life. You honestly gave me a lot to think upon as a farewell gift. Thank you Ms. Granger" he replied in that cold monotone before stepping out of the portrait hole.

For the few moments after Harry's departure nobody spoke. All were too engrossed in digesting the incident that took place. The two remaining Weasleys, though shocked to the core, were seemingly poising an indifferent attitude. On one corner Katie Bell, the remaining of the three chasers of Gryffindor's Quiddtch team, and thus one of the three Honorary Sisters of the Boy-Who-Lived was suddenly seeing red and thinking of a lot of creative ways to use certain spells. Neville was flabbergasted. He had no idea what he did witness but knew for sure where his loyalty lay. Knowing his godbrother, he knew he was a bit too late to catch up to him, so he settled on the damage-control. Colin and Denis Creevy were utterly stunned when their idol was insulted publicly by none other than his ever-faithful best-friend but even that didn't have any effect on their views of their hero. The rest of the Common Room was in a similar state of shock but it quickly turned to enrage once it was registered that their unofficial but still undisputed leader was vilely insulted. The gossip and rumour-mills were processing everything so quickly that it was confirmed that the incident would surely hit The Daily Prophet by two day if not earlier.

Hermione for her part could only process whatever she said and whatever she received. The verbal assault, even a physical or a magical assault would have been loads better. But the cold acceptance of her words by him, only because she spoke them, hurt her too much. Returning from her musing she took in her surroundings and quickly got a picture of the intensity of the surroundings. On one hand there was Katie, the Creevy brothers and a few more of Harry's loyal supporters who were seeking for revenge. On the other side were the members of Harry's supposed family who were perfectly poising a careless attitude, which didn't look any fake? Lastly were the membersof the her House who were now probably going to demand for her blood. Finally though the uncomfortable silence was broken by Neville.

"Ms. Granger, please leave. We do not want any more reasons for another 'juicy incident' where your head is demanded in a silver platter now do we?" when most of the Gryffindors made to protest and Hermione was in the middle of thanking him, thinking that at least he would defend her, he quickly added, "Make note I'm in no mood to have your acquaintance for the time being. You insulted my god-brother as well as the memory of my god parents who were war veterans. To think Harry 'had' an interest in you earlier makes me shudder for if he didn't then after this incident… I wouldn't have shown any remorse in personally severing your ties. Go to your sanctuary Ms. Granger for both I'm the wrong person and it is not in my taste to lower myself by conversing with you – make not, not for blood but for your personality. So please do us all a favor and go", Neville finished in his version of the cold-talk as used by Harry earlier.

Hermione needn't be told twice and dashed to her dormitory only to start crying on her bed when her words finally seemed to hit on her. In off some heat from herself, she had not only lost a friend, but her first friend and best friend and possibly more if she hadn't did what she did. Now that she thought of it, she was a fool in distancing herself from him only due to a prophecy. Now she knew that she would have to make it up-to him. Perhaps by asking him out herself (after all there was a Slugclub that Saturday, which was the next day, and neither she nor Harry, as far as she remembered, had a partner until then), or she could start paying less attention to his Prince book or by helping him out more on academics or on spell casting or dueling. Never did it occur to her that whether he will forgive her not…


	3. The infamous chance-encounter

The infamous chance-encounter

As soon as he was out of the proximity of other students he dropped his glamour. In his place now stood a boy of height 6' and with a body with well developed muscles and physique. Gone was the messy hair, which was no replaced by long smooth hair reaching his mid-back with half ebony colored while the other half was blonde – a fashionable muggle hairstyle which he made permanent in wizarding world all thanks to Salazar Slytherin's potion books, or rather tome, written in Parseltongue. The glasses were taken off and the optically fixed infamous Avada Kedavra green eyes started darting through his surroundings. A wandless wave had his robes transfigured to midnight blue sleeveless vest with dark purple cloak bellowing behind him in a way that would make Snape envious. Walking in a grace worthy of a vampire with heightened senses of the surroundings that would compete with that of a werewolf, the young wizard started strolling towards the Astronomy Tower only to stop short at the door.

From the inside of the classroom he heard soft sobs that would have been impossible for a human to hear. He could make out the presence of femininity from the room by the odor of scent coming from their. The door was ajar and from outside he could make an outline of a girl who had her head full of blonde hair buried in her knees as she was sobbing quietly. Her uniform gave her out as a Slytherin. He quietly walked in the room and immersed himself in the shadows – a form of travel and hiding called shadow walk he learnt, by the courtesy of Salazar Slytherin's works. Through the shadows he crept near to her without making a noise. He then found a letter she was clutching which he was familiar to. It was one the ministry used to inform the family members of any deceased during a death eater raid. Through a legilimancy scan he carried out earlier in the month on every Slytherin Fourth Year and above, he recognized her as one Daphne Marie Greengrass. His occluded memory supplied him her views on Voldemort that he extracted from her. She utterly loathed her views and kept up a faćade to survive in her House without any friends. He also knew of her pure loathing of her father and younger sister and the love she had only for her mother. Given her appearance he can very well deduce whom she had lost. Draciel suddenly came out of her hiding from under his skin and he realized that she suddenly started spreading her calming odor – something she inherited from her coral ancestry.

Realizing that his cover will soon be exposed he decided to come out of his hiding. Slowly and quietly he neared her and said in a warm albeit expressionless voice, "Greengrass?"

Daphne startled, suddenly started hiding her tear stains and swallowing her sobbing which she was now having a hard-time swallowing. How couldn't she hear the person entering the room? The familiar voice that belonged to the boy she was taught to loathe.

"Don't. It's nothing to hide and be ashamed of. Your dead one deserves this and don't deny them that just for my presence", he said warmly. The warmth of his voice was breaking her resolve to never expose herself. The surrounding atmosphere was also affecting her somehow and she could bet it was his deeds too. She raised her head to retort only to stop short. This was not the being she knew. It was only the thrice damned scar and those green eyes that made her weak at the knees, that made him recognizable.

Suddenly aware of self-consciousness, he resisted the urge to curse loudly. He forgot to put on the damned glamour. Well, he comforted himself with knowing that it was only one more day before he was going to do it anyway. So no harm done there. Right now he had more pressing issues.

"Potter?" her voice was filled with uncertainty.

"Right in a piece and at your reserves Milady", amusement evident in his voice.

She gave him a skeptical look. "What are you doing here, and what happened to your face? The Daily Prophet will be disheartened to loose their 'poor poster boy'", sarcasm evident in her voice.

"To your first question, I'm re-celebrating being alone one again in five years and about my looks… well that's for me to know and you to find out", he said nonchalantly.

"Why? Is the Weasel jealous this time or the Mud-blood's bossy attitude drove you off?", she asked bluntly.

"A bit of both, and include among the list – fear, and insecurity and unsurity and the newly added pure loathing", Harry replied.

She seemed a bit subdued after hearing that, "That bad?"

He replied without any emotion, "That's the gist. Though I will refrain from using Mud-blood for it will seriously dishonor the memory of my own mother, I can tell you the rift this time was entirely their decision and I will make sure its permanent this time whether their reasons are satisfied or not".

"You won't have them even if they come begging to you to take them back", she pressed.

He sighed, "Imagine Ms. Greengrass that someone, whom you believed a trusted and had all faith at, calls you a disgrace to your family just for the spite of jealousy and to unreasonably shun you to keep you at bay. Imagine when in front of the entire House in the middle of the Common Room she calls you a mistake that your parents committed in heat of the war. Would you in your right state of mind, welcome her back with open arms as if nothing ever happened", he finished in the same monotone he started.

She remained silent through the entirety of it and for the first time in a long while she was at a loss at what to say. Finally she looked in those eyes and seemed to have lost herself in them. A sense of calm spread through her and once again in a long while Daphne Mary Greengrass felt safe in his presence. After a long silence she said, "I suppose not… sorry Har-Mr. Potter… well I mus-", but she never got to finish her sentence as suddenly his eyes seemed to have engulfed her.

She was and in future would never know why, but she never panicked, but rather felt safe. Scenes of someone's memory began to play before her. She knew it was not like watching one in a pensive because she could feel the emotions that were being relayed through them. Images of a scrawny boy getting beaten-up, starved, abused, accused, and what not? Filled with a sense of dreading for what was coming each tomorrow, engulfed with loneliness, and suppressed by the abuse. But she also witnessed the courage, bravery, chivalry and extreme cunning he used to survive each day dreaming of a better future – a future, she witnessed, with his better half (with a hazy face but surprisingly blonde hair to which she paid no heed), three children and a dog in a countryside cottage with a valley behind and a lake in view surrounded by a white fence. The boy, his son seemingly playing with his much younger brother while the girl was having him entirely wrapped around her finger. The woman had a bulge in her belly and they were all emitting a sense of joy, adoration and mostly Love.

Suddenly Daphne blinked and found herself back at the astronomy tower. She then looked at the boy, no man, in whose mind she had entered and whose childhood she had experienced just then. Daphne finally found her voice and said, "Mr. Pott-"

"Harry"

"Pardon?" she blurted.

" There is no need of any formality here", he replied smoothly.

She surprised herself and smiled a bit at him. If Harry was surprised his face never betrayed him. Never before has the Ice Princess of Slytherin actually and genuinely smiled at anyone. Sneered, indeed; smirked, positively; cruelly laughed at, at every passing; but actually and genuinely smiled – Never. Harry made a mental note that her genuine smile suited her.

"Only if you call me Daphne", she replied.

"Think it done", he grinned for the first time in a month.

"So Harry… was that your… um… you know", she continued to splutter.

"My memories and Desires?", when she nodded, he replied, "That indeed it is".

"Those muggles were horrible and-", she was rudely cut off even before she could even begin.

"Its not the muggle Daphne but their intent. Even they have what is good and bad. Unfortunately I was placed among the few of the worsts. But lets not worry about them now lets talk about how you are coping up with the loss of your mother." Saying this he waved his wand and after a complicate pattern the door was finally closed and several of his personally designed privacy wards were erected.

Daphne at the mean time was shocked to her core. How did he know? Did he peek into her mind? But somehow she knew he wouldn't do that without her express permission. But then that doesn't explain how he knew of her misshappen, but before she could find her voice he again spoke.

"You know, dear ol' Moldyshorts roll called each and every of his inner circle death eaters at his resurrection. Xavier Greengrass was called right between Greogory Goyle Sr. and Saunders Higgs. And before you start panicking, I know of your, well disagreeing relationship-", here she gave a snort, "-that you have with your father."

Relieved that he didn't judge her by her parentage she finally released a breath she never knew she was holding. She had the sudden urge to express her childhood to him. But then once more she got uncomfortable at expressing her childhood which though not as worse as his, was still unpleasant. She dearly wished she could have some weird power like his to express herself. As if waiting for her to reach that part of her decision she suddenly found herself in her mind but aware of another presence and once again the process of reliving memories started. Her accident at infancy due to her father's usual carelessness which gave her a life-long incompetent brain, the mental abuse she suffered the threats of getting disowned, her mother's love that she mostly relished her mother's library that was her sanctuary, where she taught herself all courses until OWLs by heart before reaching Hogwarts, to prevent her father from selling her as a prostitute in Knockturn Alley, her life as a neglected girl in a mediocre household – wearing hand-me-downs, sharing the bedroom of house-elves which was very small for her increasing growth, eating cold dinners in a lonely atmosphere, getting ridiculed by her father and at a later stage by her sister, and finally getting hopes of a better tomorrow by her mother. The hopes where she was excited with the prospect that a certain Harry Potter who her father shuns but the Wizarding World worships would come to her rescue. But the hope getting crushed when she slowly started withdrawing herself after attempting to talk to him at First Year, but getting blocked by his two best friends. Watching from aside while he went for various adventures but never once came to her rescue. And finally to day when a Ministry Owl informed her of her mother getting slayed by a Death Eater crossfire.

With tears in her eyes she opened them to find that she was in his arms and her resolve finally crushed and she broke down right there pouring down all her grief and sorrows on his shoulders, she buried her head on the crook of his neck and continued her sobbing. Suddenly feeling self-conscious she started suppressing her emotions once again when she felt his arms around her getting a stronger grip of her.

"Don't", he whispered. "The more deep you bury them the more they will hurt. Let yourself cry out your hurt tonight, let your eyes' redness witness you ridding of your past. Let me hold you this night and get wet with you in the tears of your miserable past so that I may help you get dry of them. The hurt captured in your heart shall be set free. And only then shall you realize that the hurt you suppressed was enough to wet us both. So here I request to thee lady, tonight set yourself free."

The words were perfect enough to trigger herself and she did as he requested and found him speaking the truth. Her sobs were still pouring out what was left of years of suppression even when she had no more tears left. All the while she was holding him for all her dear life as if he will disappear at any moment and she will wake up alone once again from this dream.

After two hours her sobs finally were in control. There were still few convulses of her body as the aftershocks of a great emotional breakdown. She no longer felt embarrassed of him for he had seen and held and comforted her when she was the most vulnerable and she had too witnessed his darkest secrets – something she knew certainly, none knew but her. That meant he trusted her with his darkest secrets and eventually so did she, and she knew that she would protect his secrets with her dear life. She knew somehow by some miracle, she had wormed herself in his heart. But for her… in a single night he did something she never would have thought possible – he absolutely stole her heart. And she was glad "he" did it. And that somehow gave in to her desire of wanting him all for herself. All her life Daphne Greengrass never claimed anything but this one time all her heart, brain and conscience were asking her to be selfish and have him for her. Somehow she knew that he would never cheat her or play with her emotions.

She slowly raised her head to find him looking down at her with an amused smile he was barely hiding, as if reading her mind. Normally with anyone else it might have terrified her. But now she didn't even give a damn. For all she knew, he was more than welcome to read her both physically and mentally however he liked – he had earned it.

Suddenly his amused smile faded and turned serious. Lowering his head he closed the distance between their lips and now she was seven clouds high. She would give away anything to savor this moment – even her mother's library (albeit reluctantly). The need of oxygen finally had them separated.

"That was my first kiss and it was brilliant", she said in a daze.

With an amused grin he rubbed his nose with hers affectionately and said, "Well, consider that my first too, that is if you don't consider a certain Chinese Hound slobbering all on my lips as one. I try to forget that… gave me nightmares for three days straight without any effort from Voldemort."

She laughed lightly and Harry found it quite musical and adorable. Suddenly she turned serious and asked, "So where does this leads us? And what are we?"

"Nowhere", her face fell considerably, "As I have no idea of what relationship like ours is called where we know better about each other than most married people. But considering the fact that we have to give a name to our ever-unbreakable relationship to compensate the Prophet for loosing them their 'poor poster boy', lets say girlfriend-boyfriend for now, and neither probable nor surely but certainly and definitely a lot more in the future. Will that be all Milady?" he finished in a monotone.

Daphne blinked. Then hit him hard on the chest. Then fussed when he grimaced. Then kissed him for all he was worth. Then rested her head back at her new sanctuary – her Harry's crook of his neck, all the while muttering "prat" with harry countering them with "women".

Back from his neck, she whispered, "Stay with me?"

"Forever". His reply had her heart soaring (although the fact that she "knew" he was honest, also helped).

From distance another female Greengrass, though a bit aged, watched down upon the couple with a content smile. Happy that her daughter found herself an anchor she made for leaving the plane of the living with a promise to look over her from where she was heading. She was in for a surprise when a certain couple – a man with ebony hair and hazel eyes and a woman with auburn hair and green eyes – and the infamous Sirius Black along with a certain Charlus and Doreá Potter were more than willing to accompany her.


End file.
